I was in Amsterdam for the last two weeks of April. While I agree with much of what was said I was reminded of the comment of the woman who owns a bed-and-breakfast in Amsterdam, “When I’m on my bike I hate the motorists and when I’m driving my car I hate the cyclists.” There is no high-octane shouting going on however; there are just so many cyclists that they out-number the cars. It’s the cars that have limited space to manoeuver as after you pave ways for bikes and then pedestrians there isn’t a lot of space left on the streets. In most areas they are two lanes and next to the canals it’s often only one lane.

Comparing Amsterdam with Vancouver is like comparing apples with oranges: As Mr. McCarthy said, “It’s about those hills.” Secondly, “bike intelligence” in the Netherlands has been developing for hundreds of years, I am sure children are taught from toddler on to be mindful as they are ferried around my their cyclist parents. It isn’t innate, it’s taught.

Linda Stockert, Vancouver

Terrific article by Michael McCarthy about the differences we have cycling in Vancouver vs. Amsterdam being all about being calm and understanding. How true our Vancouver cyclists cite their rights but rarely practise their responsibilities.

I ride a bicycle and a motorcycle plus drive a car, so I experience all sides of the argument. What stands out is how often bad cyclists make the rest of us cyclists look bad. McCarthy points to riding on sidewalks and blowing through red lights or mass rides that block rush hour traffic as incidents that do nothing to make cycling any better in Vancouver or other urban centres.

Keep calm, obey the rules of the road. Arrogance as a cyclist wins few arguments. If I remember the basic laws of physics, 2.1 tonnes of metal, rubber, plastic and glass does not stop on a dime and human bodies don’t fair well against that much metal.

One can of pop doesn’t cause obesity, but research suggests the over-consumption of sugary drinks, including soda pop, is linked to childhood obesity.

The average Canadian consumes 67 litres of soft drinks annually, and when you include other sugary drinks, total consumption is even higher.

Sugary drinks have absolutely no health benefits, only health risks. In the U.S., sugary drink consumption has been identified as a leading predictor of obesity.

These facts are especially troubling given that 60 per cent of Canadians including 31 per cent of our children are overweight or obese. This puts kids on a fast track to developing high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke at much younger ages than ever before.

This commentary claimed that food/beverage taxes can hurt low income people. The reality is there is nothing in the scientific literature that shows taxes on sugary drinks negatively affect low-income people.

However, taxes can help reduce the over-consumption of sugary drinks, which is good for health. There is no downside.

A tax on sugary drinks is an important component of a multi-pronged, comprehensive approach to addressing obesity and chronic diseases. Other factors also need to be addressed to tackle obesity and chronic disease, including restrictions on the marketing of sugary drinks to children.

Revenues generated from such a tax could be used to fund healthy living initiatives.

If dual citizenship was not permitted, the issues concerning Canadians spending a lot of time living abroad would be greatly reduced. As long as Canada permits dual citizenship, our oath of allegiance is meaningless. How can anyone swear allegiance to more than one country at the same time.

For example, I was born in Denmark and when I became a Canadian citizen I surrendered my Danish citizenship. If I had not done so and the dispute between Canada and Denmark over Hans Island had become serious, I would have been in an untenable position. A similar issue could arise for anyone with dual citizenship. You can only swear meaningful allegiance to one country at a time, therefore dual citizenship will always be a sham. Think of it as citizenship bigamy.

Outlaw dual citizenship and the issues over passports of convenience and fake Canadians returning to milk our health care system will largely solve itself.

Steen Petersen, Nanaimo

Ardour for arbor on Hornby stroll

One of the less celebrated delights this city offers in summer is the two-block walk along the east side of Hornby Street from Nelson to Robson Street. Hats off to the landscaper who chose those trees and placed them to perfection.

Yippee-do-dah! Bravo to Pete McMartin and The Vancouver Sun for highlighting the old Interurban and the fantastic work of the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society, their volunteers and supporters, in their effort to resurrect light rail south of the Fraser. Those of us in Vancouver who travel to the valley for work, school, friends and family are desperate to see light rail restored so we’re off the highway, enjoying a safer, cleaner, and faster journey. The daily traffic reports — three separate accidents, stalled tractor-trailer, truck on fire, pick-up leaking diesel, truck lost a wheel, stuff on the highway (mattress, garbage, ducks) — should inspire us to lend a hand. If the Society would focus on restoring the Vancouver end of the old Interurban, I’m sure many of us would meet their representatives in Marpole ready to serve; I’m pretty good with a pick-ax.

D’Anne Davis, Vancouver

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